Father Joseph M. Weitensteiner

The Morning Star Boys Ranch is a facility located in Spokane, Washington, at the bottom of Browne’s Mountain. For over 50 years now the ranch has been dedicated to helping boys between 13 and 18 years old, who have broken homes and terrible pasts, grow up to be educated, loved, and successful. Father Joseph M. Weitensteiner is the man who is primarily responsible for the development of this ranch that has now served over 1,300 boys in its existence.

Father Joe, as he is respectfully known, has been on the Ranch since its conception in 1956, where he has always been working to make the Boys’ lives better. The ranch is responsible for many programs that have made it a well-rounded place for boys to come and grow. Thanks to Father Joe many of the boys that have come to the ranch have developed life-improvement skills that have made them successful. They are provided with academic help, where district 81, Spokane’s largest school district, has worked with Morning Star to get the boys back into public school and learning with their peers. They also offer a living skills program that teaches the boys to make wise choices with their money, employment, social interactions, and other life skills so they can be successful on their own. Along with many other programs the Ranch has made life much more meaningful and fruitful for over 1,300 boys in the Spokane and surrounding areas.

Father Joe is a hero to me because he took it upon himself to make a difference in young people’s lives. The future is dependent on having a group of well-educated and successful people who can make the right decisions. Father Joe’s legacy exemplifies that in my opinion. I was lucky enough to grow up in a family with my needs met and a father and mother who showed me what it meant to be faithful, make sacrifices, and make the right choices. For many of the Boys that come to the Ranch, this was never the case and Father Joe and his fellow workers made this a reality.

As a result many of the Boys that visited the Ranch have grown up to be successful and influential people in the local, national, and international setting. I hope that I am able to make as big of a positive impact that Father Joe and the Morning Star Boys Ranch were able to make. This is why they are such heroes to myself, and the community that they belong.